Abstract
WHILE photographing insects lately in the hills above Pegli (Italy), I was much struck by the curious way in which many of the butterflies turned and shifted their position after they had settled, their apparently eccentric behaviour making it difficult to obtain a good picture. It suddenly struck me that this turning and shifting was the result of an endeavour to settle in such a position as would cast no shadow, thereby ensuring to themselves less risk of detection. This seemed to be a motive particularly with such butterflies as Circe, Semele and Janira; and its success as a method of concealment was very striking in the case of Circe, which constantly settles on the bark of trees or on the rocky ground.
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WILSON-BARKER, D. Butterfly Shadows. Nature 61, 128 (1899). https://doi.org/10.1038/061128a0
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/061128a0
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